The Situation
by Zelgadis55
Summary: 'He shivers violently, knowing it isn't from the cold but rather shock.' One turtle wakes to find himself in a bad situation. Originally a one shot, now a drabble series due to popular interest (and a few threats). Comments, thoughts and concrit is always welcome. Rated for some chapters to be safe. 'AOtGO'
1. Cold

Rating: PG

Disclaimer: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and all related characters belong to Nickelodeon.

Summary: 'He shivers violently, knowing it isn't from the cold but rather shock.' One turtle wakes to find himself in a bad situation. Exactly 500 words.

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**The Situation**

He comes to his senses frantically gasping with desperate need for breath. Everything feels like it's on fire, every nerve ending pulsing with pure agony in time with his heartbeat. Unable to immediately remember a time without physical torment, he knows instinctively the pain had only surged through him during the last few minutes but it feels more like years. He shivers violently, knowing it isn't from the cold but rather shock.

As his ragged breathing begins to even out, he clenches his eyes tightly closed, mentally preparing himself for what he will see when he finally dares to look. Eventually he blinks his eyes open blearily, everything seeming to swim in and out of focus and he fights the almost overwhelming urge to throw up.

Shakily reaching out, the agonised turtle's hand comes into contact with a solid, chilled, energy barrier. He finds he is surprised as he always figured a forcefield would be warm, instantly repelling whatever touched it. Cautiously he leans against it, pressing his face to the purplish field, hoping for a clear view out.

He freezes, fresh terror welling up through the lingering pain.

There are three other large tubes in his direct view. To his intense relief they are empty.

Whimpering lightly with the movement, he gazes around the energised shaft he is trapped within. He tries to take in every detail, hoping against hope to find some way to get out, any way. There is enough space for him to lay down but not to stretch out and in his misery, he almost gives in to the temptation. Instead he draws from an inner strength he has never really been sure he has and forges on.

The ninja reaches down, fumbling clumsily at his belt only to realise he has nothing. Eyes widen in momentary panic as he desperately searches himself, finding only his mask still in place. Tears threaten, though he refuses to let them fall; unwilling to give his tormentor the satisfaction.

Vision clearing once more, he notices something on the ground within the purple tinged gloom and he scrabbles for it, clutching wildly at the objects and drawing them close; the remains of his pads and belt. The elastic of his pads is no more, only the leather remains and his belt is in pieces where it had previously been stitched together with nylon thread. His weapons are gone. No picks, no shuriken, no shuko spikes within the belt pouches; only torn and ripped fabric.

And he realises just how bad his situation really is and is grateful his brothers don't seem to be here, yet fiercely craves their comforting presence.

Suddenly hearing a muffled sound from behind, he hesitatingly turns and gazes up, yelping in shock as he catches sight of the blank faced, slack eyed stare of one of the heartless aliens he vaguely remembers invading his city only hours earlier; one of those that almost killed his brother...

… before bringing him to this bleak, terrifying place.


	2. Mystey

Rating: PG

Disclaimer: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and all related characters belong to Nickelodeon.

Summary: 'He shivers violently, knowing it isn't from the cold but rather shock.' One turtle wakes to find himself in a bad situation. Originally a one shot, now a drabble series due to popular interest. Word count 384

Written for journal/Flash-Fan-Fiction-Friday-3-13-15-520019522 at LiteraryFanFiction at DA. This week's theme is Mystery and we could choose to write about a mysterious event or simply include the word.

A/N: I'm still interested in your thoughts as to just who exactly is the turtle in question. Across DA and FFNet there have been some rather interesting thoughts and arguments for who people think it is and why :-)

Also, Subsequent chapters will not be part of Flash Fan Fiction Friday due to the fact that this story ran away with me after writing Mystery and I am already up to writing pt 6... This will however, remain a drabble style story.

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**The Situation**

Ch 2 Mystery

It is a mystery to him just exactly how he came to be in this horrible situation, for he really can't remember much at all. The only clear thing he can recall with ease is intense, sudden fear for the safety of one of his brothers and then...

… then blinding, excruciating pain unlike anything he has ever felt before. If he had been capable of conscious thought at the time, he knows he would have been convinced he was being torn apart at the cellular level or something. As it is, even hours later the turtle still feels horrendous. 'At least,' he reflects morosely as another shiver shudders throughout his body, 'nothing seems broken.'

He isn't alone though; he hasn't _been_ alone the entire time he's been trapped in this sterile, forsaken place. They silently continue to observe him with that blank, creepy stare of theirs. However, the ninja has no idea what it is they actually want from him. Whenever he tries asking they either can't hear or cannot understand him; perhaps they simply can't be bothered giving him the satisfaction of a response.

Earlier, shortly after noticing the first alien peering in at him, he'd seen it turn its head and talk to another out of his sight, however he'd been unable to hear a word. He's still unable to hear a single, damn thing outside of the solid energy barrier surrounding him and it frustrates him terribly. There isn't even anything for him to lash out at, not that he has the strength or will to do so right now. At least he can to hear himself speaking and breathing so he knows the problem isn't just his own hearing.

Several times throughout the hours that pass, the lonesome turtle turns his shell on the intently ogling alien but each time, his gaoler calmly, without obvious emotion, walks around the outside so that it faces him once more. He screws his eyes closed in denial of the visual reminder of being constantly scrutinised like a bug under a microscope.

He feels sick and helpless and all he wants is to find a way out of this hell and go home.

More than anything else though, he just wants to know his brothers are there waiting, alive and more importantly, safe.


	3. Nightmare

Disclaimer: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and all related characters belong to Nickelodeon.

Summary: 'He shivers violently, knowing it isn't from the cold but rather shock.' One turtle wakes to find himself in a bad situation. Originally a one shot, now a drabble series. Word count 484. Comments, thoughts and concrit is always welcome :-)

Thank you for the faves, follows and comments :-)

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**The Situation**

Ch 3 Nightmare

The ninja is fairly certain he has been imprisoned here at least a few days now but it is so hard to tell for certain. His general pain has finally subsided and his memories are mostly clear again but he still doesn't know exactly how he arrived here; he may have lost conscious thought prior to arrival but he knows he never lost actual consciousness. Instead of pain and disorientation however, he is beginning to feel early signs of delirium from intense hunger. Surprisingly, though they haven't fed him during his time here, they have left him with plenty of accessible water.

Since he began feeling well enough to be active, he has tried everything he can think of to convince them to let him go; he has even tried to channel his brothers. He has asked politely; arguing with calm reason, he has threatened bodily harm to them, he has pleaded; pulling out all the stops in the way of the puppy dog eye technique, he has tried cold logic; explaining just why they should let him go and that they won't get anything out of him anyway. They show no signs of listening, just continuing to stare unblinkingly in at him through the eerie veil of his prison.

Eventually he tries to meditate, pinning his rather dubious hopes on contacting the spirits of his father and brothers. It is not that he feels the task is an impossible one, from past experience he knows better. Rather it is that he is beginning to think his situation is hopeless; he feels weaker by the day.

When they finally deign to feed him, movement at the outside of his enclosure catches his attention and he looks up from where he sits miserably with curious interest. Normally when his guard? observer? he isn't really sure what to call them, changes, they step back and another identical one takes their place. This time though, there are two of them side by side, communicating with each other, though he still cannot hear them. Disturbingly one of them is without its skin and he sees its true face for the very first time. The turtle freezes in numb shock, unable to believe his eyes.

As he stares dumbfounded, he soon discovers two things. They have enough fine control over the forcefield to adjust its density, making it permeable enough to allow a bowl to be pushed through toward him, not to mention shock him repeatedly with high tech cattle prods when he recovers enough to try and take the opportunity to escape. Also that what they seem to call food is really just some putrid smelling, lumpy, sludge the same colour as his skin. The smell is so odorous that it makes him retch from where he lays twitching uncontrollably on the other side of his small cell.

His nightmare, he realises in desperation, is only just beginning.


	4. Hunger

Rating: PG

Disclaimer: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and all related characters belong to Nickelodeon.

Summary: 'He shivers violently, knowing it isn't from the cold but rather shock.' One turtle wakes to find himself in a bad situation. Originally a one shot, now a drabble series due to much requests. Word count 364. Comments, thoughts and concrit is always welcome.

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**The Situation**

Ch 4 Hunger

It takes some time but eventually the twitching stops and he gains precarious control over his body once more. The turtle painfully pushes himself up to a sitting position and stares with distaste to the bowl of 'food' nearly a metre and a half away. His stomach growls achingly even as the overwhelming fetor sets off his gag reflex yet again. He grew up with the sewers his playground but this vile stench eclipses anything he has experienced in the past.

He is so hungry yet he knows they won't be giving him anything else. With shaking hands, the captured ninja reaches over for the bowl and reluctantly drags it towards himself. He retches and closes his eyes, tasting the rising bile on his tongue. He can't... he just can't... so he pushes it as far away as possible with his foot, careful not to spill for he doesn't want to make his situation worse than it already is.

Leaning tiredly against the purplish energy barrier, the isolated teenager tilts his head up and gazes to the ceiling of his cell. If only he had his weapons, maybe he could somehow break through the metal shielding. If he doesn't get out of here soon, he knows he'll be too weak to do anything. It dawns on him that he probably already is...

He isn't sure how long he sits staring up but eventually his gaoler actually decides to speak to him for the first time, informing him that if he doesn't choose to eat voluntarily they will simply force him for they require him alive. From the maliciousness inherent in its otherwise monotone voice, he knows the words are sincere and a terrible thrill of fear courses through him at the dreadful thought.

At this point, he really isn't certain which option is worse but he gingerly crawls over and picks up the bowl once more. Gulping, he haltingly digs his fingers into the viscous glop and lifts them, watching with stomach churning disgust as the substance slides off in slimy, smelly chunks to dribble back into the bowl and he can't help but gag again.

He can't do this.

He really just can't...


	5. Oxygen

Rating: T

Warning: Disturbing content.

Disclaimer: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and all related characters belong to Nickelodeon.

Summary: 'He shivers violently, knowing it isn't from the cold but rather shock.' One turtle wakes to find himself in a bad situation. Originally a one shot, now a drabble series due to much requests. Word count 417. Comments, thoughts and concrit is always welcome.

A/N: The cover art has been drawn by sampsonknight. There is a link to her page in my profile for if you wish to see the full sized picture (which I highly recommend)

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**The Situation**

Ch 5 Oxygen

He can't breathe!

_He can't breathe! _

_Hecan'tbreathe_!

Writhing uselessly against the tight metallic straps pinning him down, he feels himself drowning; his lungs burning desperately for life giving oxygen.

His heart pounds wildly with terror while he gags from the combination of the taste and smell of the foul, malodorous glop which slowly but inexorably trickles into his mouth via the tube firmly fixed in place and he is powerless to stop it.

He thrashes his head violently from side to side in pure desperation. However the breathing mask, which is also designed to hold the stiff tube violating his mouth in place, is impossible to dislodge and he _still can't breathe_!

The terror-stricken terrapin attempts to cry out in his hysteria but the lumpy liquid filling both his mouth and most of the mask covering his beak proves to be an effective gag. He attempts to swallow, knowing it is the _only_ way he can make room for the precious oxygen to flow again but the first time he tried, it only came straight back up again, filling his mouth once more and leaving him in this hellish predicament.

Mentally he reaches out, searching frantically for the soothing comfort of his father, his sensei and _why can't he get through_? He knows it has worked before during desperate times so _why the shell doesn't it work this time_?

Black spots begin to flood his vision and he knows that if he can't keep the sludge down this time, that this'll be it for him, despite the fact that they say they want him alive. Somehow he manages to swallow but his stomach seethes and convulses from the content assaulting it and as he vomits once more, blackness overtakes him.

\- . - . -

There is no way to know how much time passes before he wakes, blinking languidly where he lay. Mercifully, he finds he can breathe again; his mouth and the hated mask physically clear of the gunk they call food but he can still taste it on his tongue, smell it through his nose and his stomach aches terribly from all its repeated heaving.

Panicking, he struggles to free himself from his situation, the cruel bindings biting viciously into his now tender flesh and with a dreadful chill that tears through his very soul, this is when he realises his mistake.

_They know he is awake_!

Grinning wickedly with malicious intent, his overseer presses a control and his petrifying torment begins all over again.


	6. Misery

Disclaimer: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and all related characters belong to Nickelodeon.

Summary: 'He shivers violently, knowing it isn't from the cold but rather shock.' One turtle wakes to find himself in a bad situation. Originally a one shot, now a drabble series. Word count 482. Comments, thoughts and concrit is always welcome.

Thank you everyone for your reviews, faves and follows so far. I really do appreciate them :-)

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**The Situation**

Ch 6 Misery

In the end, he is kept trapped within his horrifying, living nightmare for almost two weeks. It had been nearly a week before his stomach finally stopped revolting enough to keep its contents down, at which time the evil, distant cousins of his family's allies told him with malicious glee that he would remain in this situation for yet another week on top of that as punishment for having refused to eat in the first place.

The painstakingly slow trickle of odoriferous glop continued non-stop the entire time and as a result he gained precious little sleep during his terrifying ordeal. Whenever the harrowed turtle managed to fall asleep at all, he would wake soon after, choking in fright on the slow build-up of nutrients clogging his cavernous mouth; he refused to acknowledge it as actual food.

When they finally decide to remove the turtle from his restraints, he is listless, mentally and physically numb from shock. He doesn't react in the slightest as they give his abrasions the minimal treatment necessary to stave off the infection that has begun. Then he is tossed unceremoniously back into his tubular energy cell.

After an indeterminate amount of time passes, he finally reacts, curling into as tight a protective ball as he can manage given the stiffness of his limbs and joints and he finally falls into an exhausted, mercifully dreamless sleep.

When he wakes again, he is still mostly numb but it is slowly fading and he curls up even tighter, squeezing his eyes closed as the memories and nausea assault his every sense. Terrifyingly, he can still_ taste it;_ the stench seems permanently burned into his nostrils and he wouldn't be surprised if he never managed to smell or taste anything different ever again.

Eventually he notices the fetor is stronger, fresher and he slowly emerges from his stupor. His stomach roils viciously, his nausea returning in full force as he sees the not-so-innocent bowl of nutrients only centimetres from his head as if to mock him.

He begins to tremble, the memories of what just occurred assaulting him as he stares in abject terror at the bowl. He doesn't want to have it anywhere near him, let alone consume it but neither does he want to be force-fed again and realising he has no choice, he drags himself slowly to a sitting position and eats, shuddering with every horrible mouthful. Though it sitting in his stomach still makes him sick, still pains him, it does at least stay down.

As soon as the young captive is finished, he vaults for the water, drinking desperately in a failed attempt to wash away the disgusting flavour but it is all he can taste and he despairs. That is when he suddenly realises he has an audience of not just one but a whole crowd and their enjoyment over his pure misery is palpable.


	7. Determination

Rating: PG

Disclaimer: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and all related characters belong to Nickelodeon.

Summary: 'He shivers violently, knowing it isn't from the cold but rather shock.' One turtle wakes to find himself in a bad situation. Originally a one shot, now a drabble series. Word count 350. Comments, thoughts and concrit is always welcome.

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**The Situation **

Ch 7 Determination

In a flash of fury, the captive turtle shoots his tormentors his best glare. He has been their victim for far too long now, here only for what appears to be their amusement.

Well no more!

He is ninja!

He is a Hamato and proud of it!

He will not simply be their entertainment; their _play_thing any longer.

_To shell with that_! His upper lip curls in a display of the furore rising within as the incensed turtle takes a sudden, threatening step forward and he notes with dark amusement that the enemy nearest him takes a rapid, fearful step back. Yeah, he may trapped in this abhorrent situation with no way out that he can find; despite how often he has intently studied his cage before but he will no longer kowtow to them. The very first chance he comes across, he will rip them apart barehanded if need be! Like his brothers, he is far stronger than the average human and he will prove it the moment they slip up and he knows that they have to sooner or later. There is no doubt of that in his mind.

He may have been weak initially from whatever it was that they did to him when they brought him to this putrid hell-hole and then from the intense hunger as he was left to rot for days. He may have been completely helpless while he was being degraded and force-fed. The nutrients he is given may turn his stomach at even the mere thought of consuming them but they also give him his strength back, he realises. Strength enough to fight if given the chance.

There may not be much space for him to move in this tiny prison that he can barely lay across but he is suddenly determined to train as often and as hard as he possibly can.

The turtle knows just how dangerously close he let them come but he is resolute; he will _not_ let them break him!

When his precious chance comes, he _will_ be ready.

And he _will_ make his family proud.


	8. Training

Rating: PG

Disclaimer: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and all related characters belong to Nickelodeon.

Summary: 'He shivers violently, knowing it isn't from the cold but rather shock.' One turtle wakes to find himself in a bad situation. Originally a one shot, now a drabble series. Word count 500. Comments, thoughts and concrit is always welcome.

A/N: Congrats to Turtle Lover101 for being the first to work out who the enemy is.

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**The Situation**

Ch 8 Training

Over the following days, the turtle works hard to rebuild his strength. When they feed him, he downs the vile substance as quickly as possible to get it over and done with, giving them as little satisfaction as he possibly can. Unfortunately, he is unable to hide the retching and how sick he feels afterwards. After eating, he finds he has little choice but to lay down and let his protesting stomach settle; he dreads the consequences of actually throwing up again. Alternatively, he tries meditating, attempting to reach across the astral in never ending hope of finding contact with his loved ones.

In truth, he is beginning to fear the worst, that maybe the reason he cannot touch their spirits is they are dead and that thought fills him with a cold dread. Instead, he tries to buoy his hopes with the idea that maybe he has simply been taken too far from home to reach them; across the universe, across time, perhaps even to another dimension altogether. None of these options are an alien concept to him; all have been experienced by his brothers and himself, for some of them, more than once.

Once his stomach calms, he starts to stretch as best he can in the limited space. He does sit-ups and push-ups from his knees, he practises his stances, punching, kicking and striking while holding them. He jumps and flips, trying to rebuild lost stamina from weeks of torment.

He envisions the barrier separating himself and them dropping and his strikes satisfyingly impacting into their malicious faces. A few times, his captors themselves seem to imagine it also, for he punches or kicks right at where their real faces are whenever they step too close to the veil. His strikes are so accurate and controlled that they stop short of contact with the barrier by mere millimetres.

It's extremely difficult and he isn't quite sure how he manages but he keeps his expression hard, unreadable. He never shows his inner joy at their reaction to his silent promise of retribution should he get the chance.

The ninja doesn't have space enough to practise his katas, not properly. He does the best he can in his current circumstances; if he has to pause and shuffle over to perform the next move, he does. Some though, are simply impossible within the confined space.

As the days pass, he starts to feel more himself again. All this practise may be insanely boring but at least it's something to do and it's definitely better than merely sitting or wallowing in an apathetic daze.

He also realises that instead of just one observer, he has now attracted at least three, positioned equidistant around his enclosure. He worries more than once that maybe they are actually studying him rather than just taking pleasure at his situation but he dismisses the fear, knowing doing nothing would be worse in the long run.

At least this way, he may one day get his chance!


	9. Spring

Disclaimer: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and all related characters belong to Nickelodeon.

Summary: 'He shivers violently, knowing it isn't from the cold but rather shock.' One turtle wakes to find himself in a bad situation. Originally a one shot, now a drabble series. Word count 388. Comments, thoughts and concrit is always welcome.

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**The Situation**

Ch 9 Spring

There is no sun to feel on his face, nor open sky to gaze longingly up at, neither can he feel the refreshing, scented breeze waft gently over his cool reptilian skin. There is absolutely nothing to mark the passage of time within this situation; he is even certain his 'meals' are irregular but somehow, he instinctively knows that spring has truly arrived.

They had plans for this spring, his family and he. They intended to go out to the farm for a week or so once the last of the winter snow melted and the flowers began to blossom. Their best friends, April and Casey were naturally coming too.

If the weather remained nice, they would camp out, sleeping under the glorious, light speckled Milky Way; dreaming of far-flung civilisations, about who and what was out there among the distant stars.

He and his brothers planned to swim in still icy waters, having stupid macho competitions to see who has the balls to stay in the longest. They would then soak up the warmth of the cherished sun that they so rarely get to experience when within the concrete canyons of the city; where they need to remain hidden thanks to the serendipitous accident of their mutation.

Wistfully closing his eyes, the homesick, abducted ninja wishes with all his heart to wake up with his brothers to the glorious song of the dawn chorus and to watch the busy honey bees flit from flower to flower with purpose, spreading pollen, spreading precious life. In his mind's eye, he can see their colourful masks fluttering side by side in the light morning wind. Blue, Purple, Red and Orange together, as they gather around the open camp-fire for a mouth-watering breakfast of freshly caught fish and he smiles softly at the comforting thought.

Suddenly he feels sick as the terrible notion that he may never get to see or do these things with his family again crosses his mind and he breathes deeply, quickly pulling himself into a meditative position to try and control his oncoming tears of emotional pain.

His promise is not forgotten. He has zero intention of letting his sadistic gaolers gain any further entertainment at his expense. He still waits, watching for his chance attentively.

When it comes, he vows he will not miss it!


	10. Sleep

Disclaimer: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and all related characters belong to Nickelodeon.

Summary: 'He shivers violently, knowing it isn't from the cold but rather shock.' One turtle wakes to find himself in a bad situation. Originally a one shot, now a drabble series. Word count 534. Comments, thoughts and concrit is always welcome.

A/N:

Two to three months have now passed.

There were some really big clues in the previous Spring chapter as to who exactly this turtle is.

BTW, just thought I would let everyone know, there _is_ one person who has worked out exactly who this is. They contacted me personally a few weeks ago to give their reasons. Just wanted to say congrats to them, even though I'm not naming them :-)

Thank you to everyone who comments, faves or follows :-)

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**The Situation **

Ch 10 Sleep

Nothing ever changes in this place. He breathes slowly, deeply, deliberately, in an effort to still the rising panic in his heart from the sheer monotony of his situation. The scenery never changes, nor does the company, not that he really considers them as such for they rarely communicate with him. They are seemingly content just studying his every action, even ones that should be completely private.

It is all he can do to keep his spirit up but he feels it is a lost cause. Other than training and meditation, where he continually fails to get in touch with his family, there is nothing to occupy him but dreams of revenge. Those thoughts don't sit well but it at least helps keep him sane. His brothers would argue that he lost it long ago.

_Shell he misses them_... He misses the teasing, the camaraderie, the showing off, the tender brotherly care. He even misses the bitter arguments and feuds and would give almost anything to live through one of those again.

For days, weeks, perhaps even months, the only thing that has changed is the number of them watching him. Over time, the numbers dwindle back to one, making him wonder if they are as bored of him as he is of this place.

The only time the numbers change is at feeding time. Where once there was only two, there became four or five. That had changed after he kept taking the opportunity to attempt escape. Unfortunately, the first two times, all he got for his efforts were repeated shocks and while he hated the pain and lack of physical control that brought, he knew he needed to keep trying to get away. The last time he changed his tactics. Instead of trying to get out, he grabbed the unusually cold, hard flesh of the arm that pushed the bowl and pulled, yanking the monster in with him. By the time they managed to gather their wits and bring him down, he had it in multiple pieces, having torn at it to get to the squealing flesh inside like it were the prize in a Kinder Surprise.

He suffered badly for that. They strapped him down again for untold days, shocking him repeatedly, though not enough to cause permanent damage. They learnt though. Now, they only feed him when he is asleep.

Or so he leads them to think.

He has feigned sleep a number of times, hoping they won't see through his performance. Watching through slitted eyes to see how they act, he is careful not to give himself away. Their complacency has grown once more; only two of them are present. One with the bowl of glop and the other standing guard, alert for any sign of movement.

The ninja hides his smile, knowing he needs to be cautious. They now lower part of the forcefield to place the meal in and it is a lot quicker than when they would push it through the permeable purple field.

The desperate turtle knows his chance is coming and next time he will be prepared. For now though, he decides to sleep, knowing he needs to be ready when his moment comes.

* * *

A/N: Just a question for the sake of curiosity, I wrote a parody chapter of this a few months ago, which I posted elsewhere at the time (it was a response to someone's comment). Should I post it as part of this series or post it separately as part of a drabble series or something? Would anyone even be interested? I've been toying with whether to post here or not for a long time now.


	11. Chance

Rating: PG

Disclaimer: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and all related characters belong to Nickelodeon.

Summary: 'He shivers violently, knowing it isn't from the cold but rather shock.' One turtle wakes to find himself in a bad situation. Originally a one shot, now a drabble series. Word count 415. Comments, thoughts and concrit is always welcome.

Review Responses:

Guest from June 12: Since you posted anonymously, there is no reason to have been embarrassed if you were wrong. After all, who would know it was you? XD Sorry as these are a drabble series and the original challenge I created the first 2 chapters for stipulates 500 words or less, that is what I am trying to stick with on this one (though I failed and went slightly over in the previous chapter...)

Anonymous from June 14: It's certainly very possible.

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**The Situation**

Ch 11 Chance

His eyes snap open even as he is already moving, instantly launching to his feet with a speed he has not exhibited in what feels like forever. He rushes at the bent down form of the captor placing the bowl inside, trying not to laugh as the otherwise emotionless face of his provider somehow manages to convey shock at the sight of one hundred and eighty pounds of mutant turtle bearing down on it as he uses its head as a springboard.

The ninja pushes powerfully off with the tightly coiled muscles of his legs, jumping well clear of his floating gaol. From his long hours of face pressed against the veil of his prison, he already knew he was high up so he is not worried or surprised at the lack of ground beneath his feet. Instead he revels in the pure feeling of joyous freedom during his controlled fall through the air. However, he quickly reminds himself to focus and that is when he notes with surprise that there are far more energy cells around his, above and below, than he at first realised and that he is not alone in this hell-hole after all.

At least two of the other energised cages are occupied, though he cannot take the time to see who by; at least, not unless he wishes to come to a sudden splat on the fast approaching ground.

He grabs hold of various floating ledges on the way down, swinging off them to slow his dangerous descent even as an alarm starts sounding, loud and nearly deafening. The klaxon is the first real sound he has heard since the last time they punished him and that is almost enough to make him relish the sensation. Soon, the acrobatic ninja makes solid ground and he gulps, seeing weapons raised and pointed directly at his face. He doesn't pause however, he just runs, dodging wildly as he makes for a nearby open doorway.

Despite not knowing where it leads, the turtle realises he needs to immediately get out of sight and then out of this place, this situation. He feels a brief flash of guilt as he remembers the other occupied cells but there was simply no time to stick around. If he can at least lose his pursuers, he can double back for them later, maybe even with help if he can find a way out and find allies.

For the moment, this is all he is capable of doing.


	12. Luck

Disclaimer: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and all related characters belong to Nickelodeon.

Summary: 'He shivers violently, knowing it isn't from the cold but rather shock.' One turtle wakes to find himself in a bad situation. Originally a one shot, now a drabble series. Word count 396. Comments, thoughts and concrit is always welcome.

Review Response:  
Guest with the 'Essay' :-P: You do make some very good points among all that but that doesn't mean all are quite right XD I do want to say one thing though, which, as a Mikey fan made me want to cry. Do not underestimate what he is capable of. Doesn't matter if 2k12 or 2k3 or any other version. He, like his brothers is a highly trained and very skilled ninja and his natural ability has actually been said to be greater than all 3 of his brothers put together. His problem is mostly focus... and he is far from the type of person that would curl into a ball crying. At least, not for long he wouldn't *winks*. Bit of trivia - you know, interestingly, Raph has actually been the only one seen crying in the 2k3 series? I did like many of the other thoughts and reasons you expressed though :-)

A/N: A few people have been confused by the descriptive words used. This story is not told from the character's conscious streaming thoughts, it is told from an outside perspective. Therefore, unfortunately, you can't tell from the descriptive words used, only the way he behaves and reacts XD

* * *

**The Situation**

Ch 12 Luck

He feels as though he has been playing hide and seek with them for days but he knows it cannot be much more than a single day, if even that long. They are relentless in their search for him but thanks to his lifetime of training, remaining hidden and ahead of them is a piece of cake.

Not for the first time, he wonders how it is that an alien race as advanced as they obviously are don't seem to have any way to track him. He snorts quietly with amusement; it's not like he is willing to put the idea into their brains.

The ninja dashes quickly from one shadow to the next, his eyes peeled for any sign of him being spotted and he breathes freely, glad to remain unnoticed thus far. He only wishes his luck would extend to helping him find a way out of this place.

That is when the turtle suddenly realises they are approaching him from both sides. He looks around frantically, spotting a nearby door and silently slips through it just in time. As he hides within, he stills his breath and somehow, when they enter the room to continue their search, they actually miss him.

When they eventually leave, he leans back, wilting tiredly against the cold, metal bulkhead and closes his eyes. After a few minutes, he shakes his head, finding his determination once more and pushes away from the wall. As he heads quietly for the door, something catches his attention out of the corner of his eye and he turns, walking almost hesitantly over.

To his utter delight, he realises it's the remains of his belongings. He hasn't seen them since the first time he was dragged away and strapped down. There is also a number of other items that obviously don't belong to his captors and he paws through them eagerly to see if there is anything he can use to help him in this situation. Suddenly he spots something else extremely familiar and his heart rate races with excitement.

The beleaguered turtle enthusiastically reaches for the handles of his weapons and yanks them out from underneath all the other detritus. His new found hope dies and cursing his luck, it is all he can do not to cry out loudly in frustration and disappointment as he stares down at their broken remains.


	13. Rescue

Disclaimer: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and all related characters belong to Nickelodeon.

Summary: 'He shivers violently, knowing it isn't from the cold but rather shock.' One turtle wakes to find himself in a bad situation. Originally a one shot, now a drabble series. Word count 417. Comments, thoughts and concrit is always welcome.

A/N: Oops, despite having a couple more chapters of this written long before now, I kinda forgot to put the next one up after I went on a hiatus from my main story to focus on some oneshots. I still have 2 more of those coming, one for Writer-nexus and one for someone on DA. After those are done, I will return to 'AOtGO'. I promise, I have not forgotten it...

* * *

**The Situation**

Ch 13 Rescue

The ninja straightens. Despite the show he often puts on or exaggerates, he has always been the most optimistic in his family and even after all he has been through during the last few months, like shell is he going to let this awful situation he finds himself in get to him.

Using the miscellaneous items in the room, he manages to cobble together his belt enough to make it usable again and stashes whatever else he can find that is small enough and potentially _useful_ within. Then he stares at the remains of his weapons and stashes them also; he can still make use of them and besides, the handles somehow bring him comfort.

Upon reflection, he is certain the other prisoners cannot be his brothers; they would have found a way to escape long before he. However, he is both curious to know who they are and whether they could turn out to be a friend or possible ally. He knows first hand just how bad it is in that hell hole and cannot even fathom the thought of leaving them there to rot.

Cautiously, he makes his way slowly back to the large chamber containing the cell he had been held within for so long. During his search for an exit to this place, he had found other routes to that room, ones that led higher up and it is one of these that he now takes, knowing a better vantage point would be useful.

The lone turtle reaches the chamber and stares across the room. To his utter delight, there are only two enemy within, one at each of the occupied cells and he watches, curious. To his surprise, it is far easier to see within the energy prisons than without.

One prisoner appears to be a giant monkey and the other, some kind of pigeon and he wonders if they too are mutants like he or if they are aliens; after all, he has no idea what planets his captors have been to or come from besides Earth.

An awful stench he cannot help but recognise begins to pervade the air of the cavernous room, at once reminding him, as he tries not to gag, of both how hungry he has become and how sickening the local delicacy is and with a small snicker he realises that right now is the perfect opportunity to rescue the other victims.

Then hopefully they can all find a way how of this depressing dungeon together.


	14. Leap

Rating: PG

Disclaimer: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and all related characters belong to Nickelodeon.

Summary: 'He shivers violently, knowing it isn't from the cold but rather shock.' One turtle wakes to find himself in a bad situation. Originally a one shot, now a drabble series. Word count 452. Comments, thoughts and concrit is always welcome.

A/N: So far there are only two people I know of that have officially worked out just who our captured friend is. A number of others have named him correctly but just not given the correct universe as yet. Anyway, since it's been out for a few chapters as to who the enemy is, should I start mentioning them by name or continue to keep it vague?

For those of you wondering, I have started working on my main story, 'AOtGO' again. However, I will be posting a couple of other things first :-)

* * *

**The Situation**

Ch 14 Leap

The turtle is a little dismayed to discover the meals have been brought in by another vile gaoler but then shrugs, not really considering it to be a major issue. At least, not compared to all the other problems he has had since being thrust into this situation. Two of them or three of them wasn't really much difference, he'd only need to be more aware.

He watches the new one drop a bowl of the disgusting substance with the one observing the pigeon-man before moving off to join the sentry on the giant monkey. His eyes narrow behind his bandana as he surmises that the monkey must be considered more of a threat when the food bearer remains to help its compatriot at that cell. For a moment, he is hesitant about who to help first but his decision is quickly taken away from him when the lone guard lowers the density of the barrier around the pigeon. The ninja immediately takes a flying leap, drawing the handles of his broken weapons and brandishing them as though they were kali sticks.

The ninja lands silently on his enemy, thankful that it is one of the skinless ones as he immediately slams the end of one weapon into the creature within the exosuit. He hits it hard enough and fast enough that it has no time to even squeal and he reaches out to catch the body's arm, preventing it from falling to the ground far below and alerting the others to his presence.

He turns and smiles brightly at the prisoner inside, holding one finger to his beak in a _shh_ gesture all while motioning with his other hand and beckoning the bird within without. Then the turtle turns, eyes searching for the best route to the other occupied cell and he launches himself once more, jumping and swinging silently off various floating platforms.

Unfortunately something makes one of them turn around. It spots him in mid air and it chatters a warning with its computer gibberish speech, beeping, whirring and clicking. Its companion with the cattle prod is immediately alerted and turns also.

The ninja desperately tries to twist in mid jump but is unable to adjust his path enough as the overseer stretches out its electrified weapon and catches the helpless turtle, sending the current coursing violently through his body.

Unable to keep from crying out in pain or keep his eyes from clenching tightly, he feels himself begin to fall even as the jarringly loud klaxon begins to sound deafeningly in the distance. Twitching spasmodically and unable to control his body, the turtle is barely even aware of his plight as he plummets towards the distant floor below.


	15. Broken

Rating: T

Disclaimer: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and all related characters belong to Nickelodeon.

Summary: 'He shivers violently, knowing it isn't from the cold but rather shock.' One turtle wakes to find himself in a bad situation. Originally a one shot, now a drabble series. Word count 500. Comments, thoughts and concrit is always welcome.

A/N: There are now officially 3 people that are confirmed to know who our friend is exactly XD

* * *

**The Situation**

Ch 15 - Broken

As he plummets, he feels the air rushing past his face but thanks to the electrical shock he received moments ago, he's unable to do a thing about it.

The falling ninja manages to pry his eyes open just as he feels claws wrap tightly around his right ankle and he jerks to a jarring stop, his ankle wrenching badly. His heart pounding rapidly, he gasps in pain, blinking with fright as he notices the ground is just a little over arm's length away.

He could almost reach out and touch it!

Shuddering with realisation of how close he just came to never seeing home or family again, he can't help a small whimper from escaping his throat.

Eventually he becomes aware of a wavering but friendly voice repeatedly asking in English if he's alright and he twists to look up, taking in the sight of the straining pigeon flapping his wings desperately to keep them aloft. Finally he nods, momentarily unable to speak and under other circumstances he would find that situation almost laughable.

A loud, angry screeching far above makes him strain to peer past his saviour at the giant monkey assailing their captors. The ninja smiles and motions towards the fight, indicating where he wants to go. The pigeon appears dubious, scared even, but complies, flying upwards and dragging the upside down turtle through the air in his wake.

Before they can get far enough, the ninja finds his attention captured by movement from the entrances of the room. A horde of aliens enter, weapons raised and held in the pigeon's grasp as he is, he can do nothing beyond cry out a warning.

He watches in helpless horror as weapons fire, catching the bird in their beams and abruptly they fall once more.

Twisting desperately in mid-air for control, there is little he can do; claws are still wrapped too tightly and impact is nigh.

-:-

When the ninja awakens, he finds himself being strapped down once more. The feeding mask is already securely in place and his arm feels worse than the time he broke both legs. He gasps from searing, undiluted pain and turns his head to the left.

If there was anything in his stomach, he would have thrown up from the sight of the mangled limb with its bones jutting out at unnatural angles.

Suddenly one of his tormentors grasps his head, wrenching it in place and for the first time they strap that down too. He struggles valiantly against his captors but to no avail. The only free limb is his broken arm and the pain of moving that almost makes him black out again.

In his panic he doesn't know how long passes but a disturbing sound abruptly breaks through; a sound he is all too familiar with, the dread sound of a buzzsaw revving and terror reasserts itself as he feels something grasp his left arm, callously pulling it out straight.

Pain overwhelming him, he mercifully loses consciousness once more.

-:-


	16. Days

Disclaimer: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and all related characters belong to Nickelodeon.

Summary: 'He shivers violently, knowing it isn't from the cold but rather shock.' One turtle wakes to find himself in a bad situation. Originally a one shot, now a drabble series. Word count 498. Comments, thoughts and concrit is always welcome.

A/N: There are now officially 4 people confirmed to know who our friend is exactly XD

Review Response to guest:

DS – Yes and no. He did. Yes, it is. And no, I didn't set out to torture anyone. That's just how the story wanted to progress. I can't just force it into another route, it wouldn't feel right.

* * *

**The Situation**

Ch 16 Days

Over the course of the next few days, the captured ninja drifts in and out of consciousness. When he is actually awake, his pain fogged mind is barely aware. It often only takes the smallest movement on his part or a vindictive poke from one of his tormentors to knock him out once more.

While he is insensate, his dreams are filled with nightmarish images and memories but occasionally he sees a brother in the distance. He cries out, desperately seeking attention and straining frantically against bonds he can't see that viciously hold him back, even within his dreamscape. However his brother never turns, never seems to hear him and it's all he can do not to simply break down.

As the days pass, he becomes more aware for longer periods of time and to his distress, finds he still cannot even move his head thanks to the strap holding it firmly in place. His whole body aches terribly but its nothing compared to the agony filling his cold, left arm. He can't even be certain of being able to wriggle his toes.

And neither is he sure which is worse, sleeping or waking. There is no comfort in either state.

After what he's sure is a number of days mostly awake, though in his boredom and desperation it seems more like months, he hears a vaguely familiar, weedy voice calling his name, almost begging to know if he's okay and he struggles to place where he's heard it before. His eyes dart about frantically, trying to see the owner. Trying to see anything beyond the relentless view of the barbarous, metallic instruments above his head. The sight of them fills him with dread every time his mind dwells on them; it's for this reason that he usually just keeps his eyes firmly closed. Finally the calling voice fades and it is only then that he realises it belonged to the pigeon man.

He feels relief knowing the other captive is still alive but concern fills him when he remembers he never actually spoke his name and he wonders how the pigeon even knows it.

A further unknown number of days pass with him trapped in this situation, before the helpless ninja hears the heavy footsteps of his captors walk up, surrounding him on all sides. He opens his eyes, straining to see what they are up to but he needn't have bothered. Several lean in close, the ones without the skin suits grin and chortle with malicious glee, holding up their cattle prods for him to see.

His eyes widen with panic when one by one, then all at once they shock him over and over. It isn't long before everything goes dark once more but this time, its mercifully dreamless.

When he finally awakens again, he is unable to see a thing and he cannot help but freak out, wondering if he has somehow been blinded as punishment for all the trouble he has given them.

-:-


	17. Darkness

Disclaimer: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and all related characters belong to Nickelodeon.

Summary: 'He shivers violently, knowing it isn't from the cold but rather shock.' One turtle wakes to find himself in a bad situation. Originally a one shot, now a drabble series. Word count 389. Comments, thoughts and concrit is always welcome.

A/N: Don't forget, I said early on this is part of something bigger, a lead up to another project :-)

* * *

**The Situation**

Ch 17 Darkness

The tortured ninja lays unmoving in a crumpled heap, too pained to move for an unknown length of time and blinks blearily into the darkness. Eventually he recovers enough from the shocks to attempt moving.

Not knowing the extent of the injuries from his recent attempted escape, he tentatively pushes himself to a seated position using his right arm. The turtle breathes heavily from exertion, reminded that he hasn't been able to move in who knows how long.

Truthfully, he's afraid to know but he reminds himself to be brave like his brothers would be; he cannot see a thing but he needs to know how bad his injuries are, not to mention what they are. He needs to know the fate of his aching but oh-so-cold left arm. Shaking, he hesitantly reaches across his body in the dark, gasping with shock when he feels the cold, hard metal in its place.

He runs his right hand fingers lightly over the appendage, beginning at his shoulder and all the way down to his fingertips, feeling nothing but the chilled metal beneath. The ninja begins to shake with fear, unsure what this means for him until suddenly he screams out with a voice raspy from disuse, _demanding_ to know what they've done to him.

The captive turtle screams until he is hoarse and gasping from effort but to no avail. Like every other time he's tried talking to or questioning them over the untold months he's been in this hellish place, they refuse to answer. Only this time, disconcertingly, he doesn't even hear a malicious chortle at his expense.

Eventually, with his breath back and him significantly calmer, the ninja works his way to his knees, fully aware of his still pained ankle and begins to shuffle around the dark space, his right hand stretched out in front as he tries to work out where he is. To his utter dismay and dread, the exhausted captive soon realises he is right back where he started.

He is right back in his cylindrical prison, surrounded by an energy barrier just like the one he originally woke to all that time ago. Only this time, he's injured, weak and unable to see a thing.

It's all he can do to hold himself together as he realises the severity of his current situation.


	18. Blinding

Disclaimer: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and all related characters belong to Nickelodeon.

Summary: 'He shivers violently, knowing it isn't from the cold but rather shock.' One turtle wakes to find himself in a bad situation. Originally a one shot, now a drabble series. Word count 481. Comments, thoughts and concrit is always welcome.

A/N: Uploaded early at urging from Athese XD

* * *

**The Situation**

Ch 18 - Blinding

He doesn't know how long it's been since he sat leaning against the confining energy barrier but he is startled out of his stupor as all of a sudden the cell around him seems to erupt with blinding brightness.

The captive ninja immediately throws his right hand across the top of his now pained eyes in a desperate effort to block the overwhelming light. At the same time, the monotone voice of one of his captors rings out, demanding that he attach the chain at the centre of his prison to his own wrist.

He stiffens, incensed. His eyes sting and water badly from the abrupt change in light levels and he has not yet adjusted enough to even think of being able to see but even if he could, there is no way he would be willing to chain himself on _their_ say so.

The emotionless command is repeated, this time with the added threat that if he does not comply willingly, they will simply force him. For a moment his memory flashes back to the first time he refused to eat and the following consequences that since made regular appearances in his nightmares, both sleeping and waking. He's only just come out of that situation again sometime in the last day or two and the memories of the horror are fresh in his mind but still... The turtle clenches his jaw obstinately, closes his aching eyes and outwardly calm, leans his shell further back against the wall of his prison.

Seconds later he hears the ominous clicking and whirring of their machine like language and suppresses a shudder. Suddenly his left arm yanks out against his will toward the centre of his cylindrical prison and he cannot help but yelp out loud at the overwhelming agony. Moments that seem like forever later, he feels himself fall face down on the ground, chin smarting terribly as he is dragged inexorably across the floor by a force outside of his control.

His left arm slams agonisingly against the new metallic centrepiece with a loud clunk and he sees stars in his still blurred vision. Then to his horror, his arm is released from its position and instead moves on its own.

Unable to control his broken limb, the ninja fights desperately against it as he tries to move away from the pole but before he can, the thicker than expected metallic fingers flex and clamp firmly around the manacle at the end of the chain.

He screams out, howling at them to stop this even while he does everything he can to pry his metal encrusted fingers away, all-the-while gasping in pain from the enforced movement of his arm but he is unable to budge them. Within minutes, his traitorous left arm fastens the manacle securely around his right wrist and there is absolutely nothing he can do to prevent it.

-:-

to be continued


	19. Mirth

Disclaimer: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and all related characters belong to Nickelodeon.

Summary: 'He shivers violently, knowing it isn't from the cold but rather shock.' One turtle wakes to find himself in a bad situation. Originally a one shot, now a drabble series. Word count 400. Comments, thoughts and concrit is always welcome.

AN: Posted late due to procrastination... sorry...

* * *

The Situation

Ch 19 – Mirth

The ninja glares resentfully towards the still blurry but clearing forms outside of the barrier. He is powerless to free himself from the manacle that keeps him so close to the centre of his cell. It's secured tightly enough around his right wrist that it digs in painfully and even if his left arm didn't hurt so much to try to move it, he finds he has zero control over it anyway, unlike his tormentors as they take great delight in proving.

His sadistic captors drop a portion of the forcefield surrounding him and place the ever malodorous bowl of nutrients on the ground inside, the skinless ones laughing at him the whole while, sharp teeth glinting in the glaring light.

He tries desperately to make a frantic move at the food bearer and even though, thanks to his short leash, there is no way he can reach it, one of the other aliens very deliberately holds a remote control out in full view and to his innate horror, slowly presses the obvious huge, red button on it. Immediately both his left arm and the manacle encasing his right wrist slam backwards and into the pole of the centrepiece, making him gasp in sudden agony as the movement painfully aggravates his broken arm.

His tormentors all stand around, gloating as they watch the helpless captive; the skinless and bodiless aliens noticeably laughing at his pain and humiliation. Even the ones in suits laugh with their creepy, monotone voice, making him shudder at the sound. He scrunches his eyes tightly shut, wishing for some way to block the din of their cacophonous mirth.

Eventually it finally stops and the reddish green glow through his eyelids suddenly disappears. Tentatively the turtle opens first one eye and then the other, dismayed to find himself wrapped in the same complete darkness as when he first woke up back in this small cell. He tries like crazy to tug his arms away from the metal pole but to no avail and his determination begins to crack.

The captured ninja knows exactly what it is that they are trying to achieve. They don't need the chain around his wrist if they have the magnet in the pole, they are simply proving a point.

The point being that they are done taking chances with him and worst of all, he is now out of ideas and hope.

To be continued


	20. Fumble

Disclaimer: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and all related characters belong to Nickelodeon.

Summary: 'He shivers violently, knowing it isn't from the cold but rather shock.' One turtle wakes to find himself in a bad situation. Originally a one shot, now a drabble series. Word count 500. Comments, thoughts and concrit is always welcome.

A/N: I probably won't be posting any more of my usual ongoing stories until after Christmas as I have Secret Santa and a couple of gift fics to finish up and a Christmas short story set in the AOtGO universe also (not sure if this will be a long oneshot or split into 2 or 3 parts as yet)

However, I will also confirm that this story will end with ch 25.

Awesome cover art was created by Sampsonknight. Please look her up on Deviant Art to see the full view :-)

* * *

**The Situation**

Ch 20 – Fumble

Filled with despair, the imprisoned mutant leans his head tiredly against the cool pole in his cell. At this point, he doesn't know how his situation can possibly get much worse and he really doesn't want to find out.

After spraining his ankle and breaking his arm, along with other smaller injuries, he'd been strapped down to their torture table for days, possibly weeks; having been unconscious for so much of it, he has no idea how long actually passed. The feeding-combined-breathing mask was secured so tightly to his face that he hadn't been able to move his jaw more than a smidgen the whole time; the indentations from where the straps dug cruelly into his flesh are still present now, even though hours had passed since he was released. During that time, due to not being able to move in so long, his muscles had begun to atrophy, leaving him tired and weak.

His knees are now buckling from being forced to stand so long against the metal pole and his arms held firmly up by the magnet within, are the only things keeping him upright.

The trapped turtle chuckles mirthlessly to himself. At least he knows they didn't blind him, they'd simply left him in the dark. He's also relieved knowing that they haven't taken his broken arm; phantom pain couldn't hurt that much when being slammed about. They'd obviously just covered it with a mechanical sheath, much like a metal cast, only leaving him no control over it. They can though, and to his disgust he realises it is just another form of leash.

The ninja wishes he could at least lose his sense of smell; dinner's rank fetor never seems to improve and right now, the worst thing is that he needs to use the little turtle's room so badly it hurts. However he holds on, determined not to humiliate himself any more than they already have. Shaking his head, he shivers with need, hoping they'll release his arms soon. After all, if they want him to eat, he needs to be able to reach.

Finally as he reaches breaking point, the turtle hears a _Chunck. _The heavy manacle releases, falling and whacking painfully into his leg as suddenly the force holding him upright also disappears. His legs collapse beneath him and he falls to a heap on the ground, gasping in combined relief and pain.

Once the pins and needles fade, he fumbles in the darkness, crawling to the small hole left for his private business and relieves at least a portion of his misery. Afterwards he slumps to the ground, sleeping off his exhaustion.

When he awakens again, it's still pitch black and he still feels full of hopelessness but he's certainly not ready to give up.

Despite the terrible sadness he feels in his dreams, he _knows_ his brothers will come for him eventually and he's absolutely adamant that when they do, he will _not_ be broken.

No matter how bad things become.

-:-

To be continued


	21. Capitulate

Disclaimer: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and all related characters belong to Nickelodeon.

Summary: 'He shivers violently, knowing it isn't from the cold but rather shock.' One turtle wakes to find himself in a bad situation. Originally a one shot, now a drabble series. Word count 438. Comments, thoughts and concrit is always welcome.

A/N: Four more chapters to go and so far, only four people have PMed me with exactly who the turtle is. Though I do suspect from comments hinted at, that a couple of guests may have also worked it out.

* * *

**The Situation**

Ch 21 - Capitulate

The next couple of days pass much the same as the first day back in his cell did and after much internal debating, he decides to capitulate to the demand of chaining himself. After all, being repeatedly hurt and tortured thus, he is not doing himself any favours.

Once the captured ninja starts 'behaving', things automatically improve. They don't magnetise the centrepiece any longer and they release the manacle after only a short time instead of many hours later. Unfortunately, the utter darkness remains.

During the next few days, he begins working to rebuild his stamina and strength once more. Since he still can't see except for when they bring his meals, he walks around the outer edge of the cell, right hand trailing lightly along the wall and stretches often. After some time, he begins jogging, at first for smaller amounts of time and then for longer periods.

He's still unsure about the frequency of 'feeding time' but is fairly certain it's only once a day or so. Finally after seven meals of him 'behaving', his despotic captors allow the light to seep through the energy barrier once more and he breathes a huge sigh of relief. Happy his situation is finally looking up again, even if only marginally, he begins practising his ninjutsu the best he can again.

Now that he can actually see again, the ninja soon realises his audience has permanently increased once more. At all times, there are a minimum of three droids surrounding his prison and he laughs mockingly at them with the realisation. With his left arm unusable by himself, not to mention his being chained whenever they lower the barrier, he's essentially helpless to do anything and yet they remain threatened by him. A fact that is proven whenever he steps too close to one, even with the energy field protecting them.

The ninja often takes the opportunity to press his face close and stare out beyond his small space, hoping against hope to either spot his fellow captives, simply so he won't feel quite so alone, or better yet, something that might lead to a way out like... the cavalry charging in to the rescue.

Suddenly, one day as he stares out, a bright light from above catches his attention and he strains desperately to see better. Unfortunately the dark metal ceiling of his cell gets in the way by blocking his view but finally he manages to see something floating down on a hover platform and he gasps at the sight of two of his tormentors carrying the limp form of a giant mutant bat with ginger hair.

-:-


	22. Spiked

Disclaimer: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and all related characters belong to Nickelodeon.

Summary: 'He shivers violently, knowing it isn't from the cold but rather shock.' One turtle wakes to find himself in a bad situation. Originally a one shot, now a drabble series. Word count 473. Comments, thoughts and concrit is always welcome.

A/N: There are now officially five people who have worked this out :-)

Thanks to everyone who has commented, faved or followed. Seeing the emails come in really lifts my day!

* * *

**The Situation**

Ch 22 – Spiked

While at first things seemingly improve, the turtle's life quickly turns to hell over the following weeks. No longer content to simply observe his training while he works to rebuild his strength and stamina, his captives start testing him. At first they begin with occasionally flooding his chamber with varying and seemingly random gasses, all to see how he reacts to each. Once, they even go so far as to fill it completely with water to learn how long he can hold his breath.

Beginning to panic when he can't hold it much longer, the ninja suddenly remembers the time he and his brothers stowed away on an alien ship. None of them were able to breathe the air and had quickly put themselves into meditative states to conserve their oxygen. Knowing this is his only chance of survival, he does exactly that now.

To his amusement, soon after he stills he becomes vaguely aware of the evil alien brains freaking out, squealing and flailing in their belief that they have killed him. They quickly drain the liquid from the cell and set about trying to revive him. Seeing the first opportunity he's had in weeks, the ninja returns to full consciousness, exploding into action with fast and furious strikes at his nearest tormentor. Unfortunately, before he can do much damage to his oppressor, one of the other aliens takes control of his left arm, using it to choke him almost to unconsciousness. As he lays there gasping raspily for breath, they again shock him repeatedly for their amusement, before tossing him unceremoniously back into darkened captivity.

The abused ninja lays in a disappointed, yet angry daze for hours, cursing the mechanical cast on his broken arm with words that would make one specific brother both proud and shocked by the fact he even knows them.

On numerous occasions after that event, the turtle often finds his meals or water spiked, causing him to be violently ill, giving him the runs or even extreme pain. During one incident, whatever they put in his water makes him trip, producing singing and dancing green hippos with faces resembling Foot Clan leaders and horrifying white bunnies with wet, dripping, red patches of fur and serrated, gnashing teeth, and when he eventually comes down, he's terrified to close his eyes or eat again. The few times he tries refusing to eat or drink for fear of another drugged meal, they simply drag him away to force it down his throat once more.

It's during the times his situation becomes the worst, that he tries ever harder to call his family through the Astral Plain and occasionally he is dead certain one brother in particular hears or at least senses him...

... but there is never any response.

And that is when he finally begins to truly despair.

-:-


	23. Hope

Disclaimer: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and all related characters belong to Nickelodeon.

Summary: 'He shivers violently, knowing it isn't from the cold but rather shock.' One turtle wakes to find himself in a bad situation. Originally a one shot, now a drabble series. Word count 390. Comments, thoughts and concrit is always welcome.

A/N: There are now officially six people who have worked this out :-)

* * *

**The Situation**

Ch 23 – Hope

The evil aliens force the captive turtle to chain himself yet again but this time when they lower the forcefield, his abductors enter en masse, extending their hateful cattle prods out in front. He stares in wide eyed fear, thoroughly sick and tired of their repeated shocking of him and wishes like mad for a way out but there is simply nowhere for him to go; the chain holding him in the centre of his prison is only thirty centimetres in length and he's completely surrounded. Nevertheless, the terrified ninja fights back to the best of his ability but within seconds, he is quickly overwhelmed and writhing on the floor in agony, one arm held up in the air by its short leash. Soon after, blessed darkness takes hold.

When he wakes again, not only is he filled with the familiar ache from way too many shocks in a short time but he can also feel the remnants of a sedative in his system. As soon as the turtle attempts to move, nausea takes hold and he rushes desperately for the latrine, throwing up what little remains in his stomach. As he kneels panting miserably on all fours, the ninja suddenly notices his left arm in shock.

The mechanical cast that has covered his arm and hand for the past couple of months or so is finally gone.

He gingerly pushes himself into a kneeling position and cautiously moves his left hand up in front of his face, repeatedly clenching the withered extremity in wonder. The atrophied muscles make his left arm look so much smaller than the right but he grins broadly anyway.

With the metallic covering gone at long last, they can no longer control him and with great delight, he makes the decision to start doing what he does best; make life as difficult for them as he possibly can. Now they can no longer so easily force the issue, he will no longer willingly kowtow to their demands!

Finally with hope in his heart after weeks with none, he suddenly knows without a doubt that his torment is nearly over. In the near future, he will somehow finally find a way to achieve his freedom and when he does, he plans to take down as many of them as he possibly can on the way out.

-:-

to be continued

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A/N: Next up, the penultimate chapter.


	24. Scream

Disclaimer: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and all related characters belong to Nickelodeon.

Summary: 'He shivers violently, knowing it isn't from the cold but rather shock.' One turtle wakes to find himself in a bad situation. Originally a one shot, now a drabble series. Word count 500. Comments, thoughts and concrit is always welcome.

A/N: There are officially seven people who have worked this out :-)

* * *

**The Situation**

Ch 24 – Scream

The captured ninja screams continuously in desperation and fear, only no one can hear him; right now, he can't even hear himself. He can't move, he can't speak, he can't do anything beyond think, see and hear. The only other thing he is capable of, is whatever they command him to do as if he were some kind of living golem from a fantasy movie and it's completely freaking him out.

Only a week ago, things had finally begun looking up for the desperate turtle. His broken arm had healed at last and his captors had removed their leash disguised as a cast. The very next meal time, he'd flat out refused to chain himself, no matter what they did or said, and the two sides had been at an impasse. His tormentors had learnt long ago not to even lower the density of the forcefield for any reason while he was unsecured and now they'd lost their only means of forcing the situation.

After hours of mercilessly taunting them, they'd come to a decision, flooding his prison with a paralysing gas. As he lay face down helplessly, he realised that they'd continue to do so each day thereafter, but for him it was still worth the price of being able to defy them. Besides, he hoped if they did it enough, he'd develop some kind of immunity or something, or perhaps instead, he could simply regulate his breathing with meditation again. However, when he tried, he found that the gas just seeped through his pores and they simply went about their business of leaving foul nutrients for him, regardless of his continued defiance.

Then one day while he'd been meditating, fruitlessly attempting to call home once more, they suddenly lowered a portion of the forcefield, catching the turtle off guard. Immediately he sprang to his feet, trying to rush at them, but to his shock, they fired a projectile point blank into his forehead and he was unable to dodge in time. Sharp prongs buried themselves into his brow and suddenly he was no longer able to control his body.

That was a couple of hours ago.

Now they parade him around the ground floor of the room containing the prison cells, moving him by remote control and occasionally putting their vile words into his mouth. To his growing horror, his voice comes out just as monotone as their own and whatever he is forced to say is in their ear gratingly bad rendition of English.

He realises they are using him as some kind of turtle guinea pig to test their new insidious device on but they cannot resist playing, forcing him to do and say the most humiliating things possible and all he wants is to curl up in a corner and die of shame.

However the only thing he can physically do is whatever they command and all he can mentally do is scream internally for help that no one, not even himself, can even hear...

-:-

to be concluded

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AN: Last chance to get in your guesses/theories as to who this is and why. Remember, just a name alone is not enough, it has to be the correct version of him. I will be naming those I know of that got it exactly right when I post the final chapter :-)

Also the last chapter of this will probably be delayed due to the fact I am preparing for a holiday out of the country and will be unlikely to have much net access for most of March. I do plan on posting two one shot stories within the next week (one of which is a prize I owe someone), then after I come back, I will be concentrating on getting back on track.


	25. Freedom

Disclaimer: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and all related characters belong to Nickelodeon.

Summary: 'He shivers violently, knowing it isn't from the cold but rather shock.' One turtle wakes to find himself in a bad situation. Originally a one shot, now a drabble series. Word count 1036 (That's right, double sized finale folks XD) Comments, thoughts and concrit is always welcome.

Congratulations to the seven people who worked out exactly who this was.

Sampsonknight

Roxastuna

KawaiiCheesecake

Athese

CerapinTech

Lady Jeran

Feonix500

Special mention for BlackKatJinx who actually said the correct answer all the way back in chapter 1, though she changed her mind after ch 2 XD

* * *

**The Situation**

Ch 25 – Freedom

'_Donnie_!' he screams mentally. 'Help me! _Please_! I know you can hear me!' Honestly, while he is sure his brother has heard him in the past, he doesn't really believe he can now; but still, he continues to try relentlessly. '_Donnie_! _Leo_! _Raph_! Anybody, _please_!'

With the amount of screaming he's done over the last week, if he'd been able to use his voice, he knows he would have been long hoarse by now, but non-stop, as he stands stiffly in place and stares blankly forward, he continues to cry out. He's called his brothers, his father, April and Casey over and over. He's even tried the Silver Sentry in his sheer desperation.

Over the past week, the shredded remains of the ninja's freedom has been completely stripped away. They don't even allow him to eat or defecate of his own volition. His oppressors control his every movement and his voice completely. They are even able to force his eyes closed for sleep but the one thing they cannot force is his mind, his thoughts.

Finally, with the prickle of tears at the corners of his eyes, he falls silent internally as they march him back into his dismal cell. Moments later, he sees why. A new mutant with eight legs and multiple eyes is being brought in. Every time they bring in a new inmate, they put him away as if he is a toy being returned to its box, all while they fit the latest prisoner with a control device and play with them for a time instead.

This time though, things are inexplicably different.

As best as he can, considering his lack of ability to move as he wants, he watches with rising interest as they immediately put the wretched new mutant away. Suddenly, out of his peripheral vision, he catches the quick movements in the shadows that only a trained ninja could perform and as his heart soars in new found hope, he wishes desperately that he had the self control to turn his head and actively watch.

After what seems like both an eternity and no time at all, three distinct turtle shaped figures somersault past his prison to the ground below and he immediately loses sight of them. Not for the first time, he wishes he could hear beyond the forcefield making up the barrier of his prison but that's only possible when they adjust the settings to allow it.

All of a sudden, the control device buried into his forehead fails and he moves faster than he ever has before, ripping the insidious device away and tossing it to the ground in disgust. He takes great joy in stomping viciously and repeatedly down on the hateful thing, shattering it into pieces and destroying it completely. Breathing hard and fast from the abrupt exertion, he swears to never let them use something like that on him again; he'd rather die first. Then he rushes to the barrier and presses his hands and face against it, straining to see what's happening below.

To his delight, there's a massive fight going on. Three mutant turtles and a bunch of the other captives are fighting, decimating his tormentors. To his abject dismay however, the turtles he sees are not his brothers, although... there is something definitely familiar about them. Their mask colours, their weapons, even the attitude he can see inherent in the way they move... and that's when he understands.

He is no longer in his home dimension and it's no wonder his own family never came to his rescue. Remembering the intense sadness he always felt from Donnie within his dreams, he finally knows why his brother kept ignoring his pleas for help.

For whatever reason, his family obviously thinks him dead and his heart breaks at the painful thought as he realises that also means they aren't even looking for him.

And probably never were...

In frustration, he pounds his fists against the forcefield repeatedly, only for the energy barrier to suddenly disappear beneath him on the sixth strike. Immediately, he loses his balance, falling hard to his hands and knees.

But as fast as he possibly can, the ninja's on his feet again and outside the confines of the cell, terrified that the forcefield might raise and trap him within once more. The light of the portal above suddenly brightens the room, making him look upwards. Every mutant in the room is immediately on the move, some attacking the Kraang, others making for the portal and without even thinking about it, he jumps into the fray, gratified that they never took his weapons away from him again after he'd recovered them; they'd obviously seen no point since there'd been absolutely nothing he could do once they recaptured him all that time ago.

He viciously takes out the nearest couple of Kraang, payback for his months of torment, and he's not the only one doing so. The giant monkey mutant and a monstrous, spiked turtle appear to be even more pissed off than he; and he laughs as he takes great delight in mocking the particular Kraang he's currently playing with.

A call suddenly rings out in an unfamiliar voice; a command for anyone still remaining to get through the portal, so he makes quick work of finishing off his enemy before making for the strange, glowing whirlpool above.

Finally only the three turtles he knows must be his other-dimensional brothers and a robotic metal turtle far below are all that remain. They hesitate, not one of them even noticing him where he stands half hidden, and look down at the automaton far below. When they eventually move, he rushes through the portal directly after them, knowing he cannot risk being left behind.

-:-

He lands roughly on his face on coarse bitumen. Groaning, he pushes himself slowly to his feet and stares around in undisguised wonder. The other turtles he'd followed are nearby, the ones he somehow recognises as Leonardo, Donatello and Raphael and something about them seems desolate; almost hopeless in the despair he feels emanating from them.

Michelangelo takes in a deep breath of the first fresh air he's breathed since he was captured and approaches them.

-:-

The end AND the beginning.

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A/N: This is the end of 'The Situation'. Be on the lookout for 'AOtGO – Aftershock' for what happens next. When I decided to do this story it was always a lead up to the 2k12 side of the 'And One to Grow On' story. This is set about a week after the events of 'AOtGO ch 21.

This chapter takes place concurrently with an AU version of 2k12 S2E11 'Metalhead Rewired'. And no, I will not be rewriting that episode (or any other) to make up for the fact that their Mikey is missing.

For those that guessed the turtle was 2k3 Mikey, I'm afraid that wasn't quite right. It was close, yes, but being that 'AOtGO' is AU after 'Good Genes' and 'The Good, the Bad and Casey Jones', it wasn't the answer I was looking for XD For those that thought 'AOtGO' 2k3 Mikey, then you were 100% correct :-) If you wish to know some of the more obvious clues I put into this tying it to 'AOtGO', note me, and I'll get back to you when I can (still not receiving my emails just yet)

*cheeky grin* Sorry about the added delay on this chapter. Part of it was the computer issues I have had of recent, but also, I wanted to get the last chapter of 'AOtGO – Far From Home' out before this, for reasons :-P

Thank you to everyone who commented, faved or followed this story. Receiving those notifications makes my day :-)


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